'Chicago Fire' cast on hand for show's premiere at Chicago History Museum

The cast of NBC's "Chicago Fire" -- including Taylor Kinney (left) and Jesse Spencer (second to left) -- at the show's premiere at the Chicago History Museum October 2, 2012.

The cast of NBC's "Chicago Fire" -- including Taylor Kinney (left) and Jesse Spencer (second to left) -- at the show's premiere at the Chicago History Museum October 2, 2012. (Abel Uribe/ Chicago Tribune)

The cast and crew of NBC's “Chicago Fire” have learned that there are added bonuses to filming a firefighter drama in the Chicago area.

Taylor Kinney – who co-stars with Jesse Spencer and Eamonn Walker on the show – said the staff at a Harley Davidson dealership in the Joliet area recently noticed the squad jacket he was wearing and offered him a 20 percent discount on his motorcycle rental.

“I told him I wasn't (a firefighter) and that I was an actor,” said Kinney, who arrived with his co-stars to the show's premiere Tuesday at the Chicago History Museum in a fire truck. “He knew of (the show), so I still got a discount.

“I've heard from other cast members you can walk into 7-Eleven with a (fire department) t-shirt on and buy a newspaper and the attendant will be like ‘We'll hook you up.' There is a common thread of respect for these guys around the city.”

Filming of the show, which premieres Oct. 10, has been taking place at the Cinespace Chicago Film Studios on the West Side and in various locations around the city. Some scenes looked so intense, there were signs around the set that read “FILMING IS A REENACTMENT OF EMERGENCY SCENES…PLEASE DO NOT CALL 911.”

Asked about the signs, producer Dick Wolf said “I don't know if they got any calls. We had a pretty big presence. I don't think anybody thought their neighbors were burning.”

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